Intertwined
by nachonaco
Summary: The world is a funny place. At this very moment, the person you're destined to spend your life with is walking the Earth, perhaps only a short distance away. *Hero's Cuties* *Please read and review!*


**A/N: Hey guys! This is a late anniversary gift for Darth Ben Valor. :) I hope you all enjoy this look into another arcade. As usual, I don't own Wreck-it Ralph!**

Tamora Jean Calhoun stretched as she crossed the threshold into Outlet Depot, then resumed her practiced, almost regal walk into the main hub. Her muscles immediately slackened, her will no longer bound by her game's programming. A satisfactory smile crossed her lips as she felt her muscles tingle, giving her complete control over her body rather than the preprogrammed attitude and muscle memory that cursed her ten hours out of the day.

She loved her job, but she loved being herself even more. She idly spun her helmet on her index finger like a basketball as she waited for Kohut, her most trusted friend. "Come on, Kohut," she said. "We don't have all day!"

"Mora," he said, a small chuckle coming from his throat. "Hold your cy-horses. The arcade just closed."

She laughed and got out her cruiser, unfolding it and stepping on it in record time. "I'll race you!" She said. "Mod, it's been so boring having to be all strict and rigid for the past ten hours!" She laughed and did a loop-de-loop. "Come on, Kohut, where's your sense of fun?"

"We have a job to do, Sergeant," he reminded her, his voice firm but kind. She looked down at him, her arms dangling over the sides of her cruiser. "Watching for the cybugs."

"Aw, come on!" She said. "Let the Power Supply Force do that!"

"This is serious, Sergeant," he chided. "After a year of being plugged in, I would have thought you'd know better. You cannot continue to shirk your duties."

She soared down to his level. "Oh, Kohut, lighten up and take that stick out of your-"

"Oh, have you heard? Have you heard?" An excited voice called out as a little girl in a pink dress and black hair with pink candies ran up to them, holding up her skirts so she could run. "The owners have purchased a new game! It's from the eighties!"

"The eighties?" Calhoun asked.

"Yeah!"

"What's it called, Princess Vanellope?"

"It's called Fix-it Felix, Jr."

"Huh. Interesting. Well, Kohut," she said, turning to her companion. "I guess you're right, we do have a job to do. Come on, soldier. We'll introduce ourselves to the new guys."

She laughed as Kohut shrugged and they walked down the strip.

Already a crowd had gathered at the outlet where Fix-it Felix, Jr. was plugged in. Being among the taller of the arcade's citizens, Mora could see the game's two main characters: Wreck-it Ralph, the antagonist, and Fix-it Felix Jr., the game's protagonist.

"Huh? Wha-" she asked as her legs started moving of their own volition towards the half-pint handyman. She dug her heels into the ground, unsure of what this unearthly force was that was propelling her to the hero.

* * *

"Evening, ma'am!" Felix greeted cheerily as his wife approached the gateway to his game.

"Fix-it," Tamora said, covering her hand to hide her laugh. "How many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to call me that? We've been married for six months."

"Well, uh, it's still force of habit," he admitted, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, well, you're lucky you're adorable," she said teasingly, leaning down to kiss him on the lips.

* * *

The entirety of Outlet Depot gasped. When Mora opened her eyes, she found she'd locked lips with the eight-bit hero. "What are you doing?!" Felix asked, incensed, and wiped his mouth as if they were schoolchildren and she'd had cooties.

She pulled away.

"Sorry!" She yelped. "I-I don't really know what's happening."

Fix-it Felix, red-faced, retreated into his game.

"Aw, no, Felix, wait!" Ralph called, following him.

"What on earth was that about, Mora?" Kohut asked.

"Beats me," she said and shrugged. "Do you want to go to Burger Time or not?"

"Yeah, let's go ahead." He nodded an affirmation, then placed his arm around her. They'd been together since their plug-in date, but she was still somewhat aloof about their relationship. Still, he couldn't help but notice she seemed a little more guarded now, closer to her programmed personality.

"Mora?"

"Mm?" She asked, looking up at him as they walked.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, uh, I'm fine," she said softly. "Absolutely fine, sweetie." She leaned into him as they got on the tram to Burger Time. She ordered her usual, a double cheeseburger and large fries, while he ordered a salad. They got their drinks and sat down.

"Why did you kiss him?"

"What?"

"Mora, come on," he pressed. "Why did you kiss him?"

"I don't know. I-It was like…like I didn't have control of my body. Like when the game controls me." She shuddered and then sighed.

"Well, let's just hope it won't happen again."

They ate in silence after that.

She owed him so much, she realized. He was her rock, and Mod had taken that rock and kicked it down the street without so much as a second thought, humiliating her by making her kiss a man who hadn't existed for more than thirty minutes.

She wondered what he thought of her. She wondered if he was embarrassed, angry – there were so many emotions that caused flushed cheeks. And it wasn't like he had stormed off, rather he had retreated like a frightened baby cybug.

"I'm…uh," she began. "I'm gonna talk to some of the on-duty Power Supply officers."

"Sure, Mora," he replied. "I'll see you tonight."

"Mhm."

* * *

The owner of the Fun Zone was a twenty-something college dropout. Mindy Lynch entered her arcade, singing softly to herself. "Every level, tension's gettin' stronger, so be careful, just a little longer…" She'd had the song stuck in her head since she first purchased the Fix-it Felix console, a night fueled by nostalgia and too many hours spent watching the cartoon series (the theme song of which was presently in her head) while having a credit card too closely in reach.

"You're worth every penny," she said softly, caressing the machine.

A sniffling noise caught her attention. She snapped her head toward the Hero's Duty console.

The title screen was playing, but there was something different. Sergeant Calhoun was in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chest. "Sergeant Calhoun?"

It was no secret to her that the characters were sentient. There were too many little signs here and there, especially when accumulated over the years.

"S-Sergeant Calhoun?"

The sergeant gasped. "Go away, Mindy."

"Come on, talk to me."

"It's nothing you'd understand," the sergeant said, wiping her eyes with the mesh part of her gloves. "So go away and go count your quarters."

Mindy folded her arms over her chest. "Sarge."

"Look, my boyfriend hates me, okay?"

"Hates you? Why?" Mindy asked, pulling up a chair from when they had card game tournaments.

"Well, he hasn't talked to me all day."

"Maybe he's busy."

"Maybe," the sergeant said with a sniffle. "I don't know anymore."

"What happened?"

"That game you just plugged in did something weird to my coding."

"Huh…Fix-it Felix?"

"Yeah. I-I was walking in the power strip and it was like I lost all…all control, and I kissed him!"

"Kissed him. Really."

"Yes!" She sobbed into her hands.

"Huh." Mindy gripped the seat of the stool with her hands, then looked out the window. A few blocks' distance was the arcade she'd grown up in. She was on good terms with the owner of the arcade, Stan Litwak, and would often strike up conversations with him. Like she did, he believed the characters were sentient, and he would know what was up.

"Wh-what am I going to do?"

"You, Sarge," Mindy said, playfully pointing an accusatory finger in her direction. "Are going to cheer up while I do all of the fixing."

* * *

Felix was slowly getting accommodated to the Fun Zone. It was a far cry from the Tobikomi factory, where the only other people he had met were Felixes and Ralphs and Genes and Marys. Here there was only one of each character – excepting the palette swaps, of course.

But he couldn't get the tall woman in black out of his head. He'd probably upset her, what with escaping back into the game and all. But maybe he hadn't, maybe he still had a chance with her.

"Okay, Felix," he said. "You are strong, confident, a ladies' man! You can do this!"

He'd had every intention of going to her and apologizing for being so skittish. That wasn't him at all – he was no pushover.

He walked through the power strip, wondering if he'd see her. If he did, all was well, he would apologize and take her out to dinner.

He repeated the mantra of his brilliant plan, unfazed.

And that was when he felt himself lift up, as if the player was making him jump, and kiss someone square on the lips.

That someone happened to be the very woman he intended to fix things with.

She blushed, staring at him. "I, uh…"

"S-Sorry, ma'am."

She sighed and sat down, her back to the wall. "We've got to find out what's causing this, Fun Size."

"Yes, we do," he agreed.

* * *

"Mindy! Good to see you, kiddo, how's the Fun Zone?"

"It's fine, Stan," Mindy said. "Finally got my hands on a Felix console."

"Good for you! Yeah, we're going strong on thirty-one years here."

"I know." Mindy grinned at the thought of how many hours she'd spent here as a kid – somewhere in her office under the piles of paperwork, game guides, and catalogues was a picture of her at Litwak's arcade, held up by her father. "Say, I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well…I guess I was just wondering if you've noticed anything funny about your Felix and your Calhoun."

"Not since the wedding."

"I'm sorry, not since the what?" Mindy asked, sure she had misheard.

"Not since the wedding."

"Whose wedding?"

"Felix and Calhoun's," he answered simply but gently.

Mindy blinked, incredulous.

"The kids call the pairing 'Hero's Cuties'."

"That. Explains. Everything!" She exclaimed. "E-everything! If you take a look, there's the- we've almost got to be on the same power grid, this town probably only has two and I'm only a couple of miles down the road and- I'm rambling, and I have to get back to the arcade and-"

He shook his head. That girl was a real piece of work, but truth be told, she reminded him of himself.

* * *

There was still half an hour until she had to open the arcade. "All right. Fix-it Felix, Sergeant Calhoun, can I have your attention?" She called.

"I'm here!" Sergeant Calhoun responded eagerly. Judging by the tone and demeanor of her voice, she'd figured it all out.

"Present!" Felix answered with equal amounts of enthusiasm.

"Now," Mindy said. "I understand there's been some funny business about you two kissing a couple of times, is that right?"

"Y-yes," Calhoun said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"Well, I've got the answer."

They listened in eagerly. Sergeant Calhoun felt someone approach her and take her hand, and she looked to see Kohut.

"We're on the same power grid as another arcade."

"And?" Felix asked anxiously. "What does that mean?"

"Well, he has a Hero's Duty cabinet, and a Fix-it Felix, Jr. cabinet, too."

"What's she getting at?" Kohut whispered.

"Shh, shh," Calhoun whispered politely.

"You guys, they're married."

"Married?!" Felix exclaimed.

"Great googly moogly," Calhoun whispered.

"Mhm. Now, I'm not saying you two necessarily have to be together. Sarge, I know you're dating Kohut."

Kohut smiled proudly, then frowned when he looked down at Tamora, who was smiling towards the direction of the Felix console.

"Now, guys, if you'll excuse me….I have to go replenish the snack station."

Kohut looked down at Calhoun and sighed. "Mora."

"What?"

"Go with him."

"What? No-"

"Go," he said quietly.

She looked at him. Deep down, had she really loved Felix? She swallowed. There was something in the way he carried himself, something that reminded her oh so slightly – but not dangerously so – of Brad. "Thank you," she whispered in a shudder. "I love you…and you'll always be my best friend."

"Of course," he said. A grin crossed his face as he hugged her tightly through his armor. The grin stayed even as she left their game.

"Oh, and by the way," Mindy said as she put the stool back. "The pairing is called 'Hero's Cuties'."


End file.
